Iwas a little ner vous about doing a cruise
with my family. Would there be enough
to keep young children occupied? I was
pleasantly surprised.
We all loved the spacious cabin, with
plenty of space for clothes (wonderful to
just unpack once) and our bathroom with
shower, basin and toilet.
The ship was large and designed for
comfort as well as activity. With two
pools, three lounges, a casino, three bars,
nightclub, art gallery, five dining rooms,
library, day spa and plenty of shopping, I
soon realised there would be no time to
be bored.
The Pacific Daily was placed in our cabin
every night with the planned activities
advertised for the next day. This gave us
a chance to organise ourselves. The
activities covered a broad spectrum, so
everyone was catered for. There was
everything from craft activities to trivia,
games and of course the much-loved
bingo. For more active passengers, dance
and circus classes were available as well
as pool volleyball competitions. Movies
were also played on the big screen a few
times a day.
At night the boat seemed to come alive
even more with Las Vegas-style shows,
including celebrity performances such as
Ugly Dave Grey and Simon Gillespie,
comedy club performances and special
theme nights, which bring the passengers
together -- almost the entire ship would
attend, meet and mingle.
Dining was an experience in itself! Two
dining rooms ser ved à la carte meals for
breakfast, lunch and dinner. The buffet
on the pool deck was open for casual
dining most of the day.
The Steakhouse and Pizzeria were the
alternate dining restaurants -- a surcharge
applies here. We dined at the Steakhouse
for $25 per person -- the meal was
certainly worth the extra money.
I really enjoyed the fact that you didn't
need to have money or cash on the ship.
All purchases are made on your Cr uise
Card -- everything from a soft drink to
duty free shopping and shore excursions.
The card was also our ID for embarking
and disembarking.
Children on the cruise were really well
looked after. Our daughter didn't want to
leave Kids' Club at all, even on shore
days. It was open from 9am-12pm and
then from 2pm until 10.30pm. There was
also a babysitting ser vice. Children had
their ow n Pacific Daily activity sheet
delivered every night. The activities
ranged from craft activities, treasure
hunts and computer game competitions
to their ow n theme night parties.
Shore days and shore excursions are
another part of the cr uising experience.
Our organised options in and around
Cairns were very well-organised and
interesting. I would always recommend
doing a shore excursion to get the most
out of your time ashore.
Cruising is a wonderfully-rela xing and
hassle-free way to travel -- we enjoyed a
real family holiday!
Been there, done that
Carrie-Ann Williams cruises
from Brisbane to Darwin aboard
Pacific Sun
Carrie-Ann
with RACT Travelworld
Kingston
Shop 49A
Channel Court
Phone 6242 3211
Glenorchy
Corner Terry Street
and Main Road
Phone 6212 9500
Launceston
Cor ner York and
George Streets
Phone 6335 5655
Devonport
119 Rooke Street
Mall
Phone 6421 1977
Ulverstone
RACT Travelworld
38 Reibey Street
Phone 6425 8050
Burnie
24 North Ter race
Phone 6434 2955
Carrie-Ann Williams
has worked in the
travel industry for eight
years. She has loved
everywhere she has
been, but her favourite
city is London.
"It's an amazing feeling to be in such a
trendy, modern city and be surrounded by
so much history," Carrie-Ann says. Another
favourite travel experience was spending
three days at Knights Inlet in British Columbia
in Canada, observing grizzly bears close-up.
"We were only metres away from the bears
in their natural habitat, watching them feed,
groom their young and play," she says.
Contact Carrie-Ann at RACT Travelworld in
Ulverstone on 6425 8050.
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December 09 / January 10